No right of appeal for farmer and his failed wind turbine scheme

A north-east potato farming firm has been told it has no grounds to lodge an appeal for a failed wind turbine scheme.

Farmers Inicio-Fresco Ltd have been knocked back again in a long-running application to install three 252ft turbines at Cairnandrew, near Banff, after the Scottish Government blocked the scheme.

The company has twice submitted paperwork with the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA), based on decisions made by Aberdeenshire Council.

Councillors refused the initial turbine application and, earlier this year, authority planners declined to review it, because it was deemed to be identical to the last.

Under Scottish Government legislation, planning authorities have the power to decline applications which have been reviewed by Scottish Ministers in the previous two years.

A DPEA reporter has now written to the firm, informing them its latest request will not be considered because there is “no right of appeal”.

A review of the turbines last year concluded that any positives the structures would bring would be outweighed by their negative impact on the local area.

A reporter said: “The proposed wind turbines would have a significant adverse impact upon the area’s visual amenity.

“Taken in isolation, this impact would not be so great as to deem the proposal unacceptable.

“However, having regard to the variety of existing and approved wind turbines in the area surrounding the appeal site, the cumulative visual impact and effect upon the landscape would be significantly adverse.”

Inicio-Fresco justified their appeal in documents sent to the DPEA by suggesting that there were new “material considerations” to take into account.

It included the number of proposed and active turbines within five kilometres of the site falling from 78 to 49.

The turbines would have provided “ongoing investment” into the potato business.